The present invention relates to an overvoltage arrester of the type comprising a frame including a plurality of parallel columns, with some of the arrester elements being arranged in planes extending transversely to the longitudinal extent of the columns.
Disclosed in Swiss Pat. No. 304,299 is an overvoltage arrester comprising a frame which includes a plurality of columns, arrester elements and insulating elements, with some of arrester elements arranged in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of the columns. Three columns are shown and the arrester elements are arranged alternatingly along the axis of one of the columns and then in a plane extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the columns and connecting two columns, and then again along the axis of another column. This results in an overall helical arrangement which shortens the overall axial length otherwise required for a given arrester. The arrester elements and insulating elements are of uniform dimensions.